Technology Competence Importance by Anna

Technology Competence Importance by Anna - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

Development of technology and its uses are ever-changing and there is an abundance of information that people don’t necessarily know about the technology that they are using. There are both components and actions that people should try to avoid and really helpful tools that not many are aware of. The importance for young, developing minds to know both the dangers and advantages to technology is vital to safety, but also is an aid that one can use as a student for help and learning what they may be interested for their future.
Ultimately, a class that teaches students how to properly use technology and build a basis for understanding would be one that would be of high interest to teach. Looking at it from the viewpoint of the person teaching it, they would have to be highly cognizant in most, if not all, areas of technology and that would not be a problem because this is a time where most people who are alive have been alive long enough to see the development of two-in-one laptops, faster processing systems, tablets, and phones that are, in essential, mini computers in most of the population’s back pockets. Most American school systems have a class that is taught through elementary school teaching the basics of computers where kids learn how to work with different Microsoft programs, how to type efficiently, and what kids at that age should avoid doing, such as visiting websites without parental supervision or cyber bullying. However, there is so much more that kids, starting now with the development of new systems and technology, will need to know in order to get the most out of their technology.
A few things that I was never taught or introduced to until I chose computer electives in high school was programming languages, how to effectively search for information, and do research to the extent where I can pick the essentials from what is not useful. Many high schools offer maybe a few beginning courses on different programming languages or essentials for programming. A huge role in building the future of tomorrow is to let kids figure out whether this is something that they may be interested in or not, and for the kids who are there needs to be an advanced type of class that allows them to further their abilities before possibly going to a college or vocational school. The ideal class that I would teach would have units in the beginning of the year regarding the dangers and the advantages of the technology at hand, then gradually move into the more advanced capabilities of computers and phones, and finally into a unit where they are taught the beginning of a few programming languages. The languages taught would be html and java because html would get their hands dirty in the kind of programming that designs website and could be interesting for the more art geared kids and java because it is a language that is utilized in many companies as the basis for the programs that help their companies run smoothly and will attract the more problem-solving geared kids.